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Tesla Holiday Update: New UI for Model 3 and Y, Light Show, blind spot camera improvements & more
Just a few days before Christmas, Tesla is kicking off the holidays with a bang. This year’s Holiday Update includes a few fun surprises for Tesla owners, including new games and a few other fun features.
Teslascope, a Tesla software update tracker service, has shared that the 2021.44.25 update is being rolled out to employees for now, with a wide release following in the lead up to Christmas. Reports shared online suggest that the update works very smoothly on vehicles like the Model 3 and Model Y, however.
New Features
First off is the Light Show, which enables Tesla vehicles to dance to a choreographed light show any time of the year. The feature was a signature trick of the Model X, so it is pretty interesting that Tesla is now rolling it out to the other vehicles in its lineup. The Light Show feature can be accessed through the Toybox.
In its Holiday Update, Tesla also introduced the Customizable App Launcher, allowing owners to customize the menu bar in their infotainment systems. This should go perfectly hand-in-hand with the Model 3 and Model Y’s update UI, which now matches the interface of the Model S Plaid and new Model X that were rolled out this year.
“Drag and drop your favorite apps to any position along the bottom menu bar for easy access. To customize your menu bar, hold any icon and then drag to reorder. To adjust climate controls such as heated seats and defrost, tap on the temperature or swipe up from the bottom of the screen,” the update’s Release Notes read.
Feature Improvements
As with any update, Tesla improved a few key features, including vehicle controls, blind spot monitoring, and Waypoints.
Simplified Controls makes it easier for Tesla owners to focus on navigation, media, and the most common primary controls. The improvement should make accessing features in the infotainment system easier, so driving or operating a Tesla may be more convenient and perhaps even safer.
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The Blind Spot Camera feature is probably one of the best improvements in the Tesla Holiday update, as it provides vehicles with a video feed showing their blind spot when a turn signal is activated. “You can now automatically see a live camera view of your blind spot whenever you activate the turn signal,” the Release Notes for the feature read.
The Blind Spot Camera feature will most likely improve the safety of Tesla’s vehicles. Tap Controls>Autopilot>Automatic Blind Spot Camera to enable the feature.
Tesla also made trips easier with Edit Waypoints. The navigation improvements will probably be quite useful to families taking trips this holiday. The feature allows drivers to reorder or add multiple destinations to their route. Edit Waypoints will update the arrival times for each change on the route. “To add a stop, or edit a trip, initiate a navigation route, and tap the more options button not he turn list,” wrote Tesla on the Edit Waypoints Release Notes.
New Arcade Improvements
Being a Holiday Update, 2021.44.25 is rife with a number of improvements for Tesla Theater and Tesla Arcade. Access to a popular social media platform has also been enabled.
First up is Sonic the Hedgehog, which Elon Musk himself announced on Twitter recently. Multiplayer support for The Battle for Polytopia has also been enabled, which should make in-car gaming sessions even more fun.
Sudoku has also been added to the Tesla Arcade, complete with a mode that includes a smart hint system for beginners. Also, the popular social media app TikTok is now accessible to Teslas.
Other Improvements
Update 2021.44.25 is not all fun and games. Tesla included some Cold Weather Improvements to its Holiday Update, too. Preconditioning the cabin from the Tesla Mobile App when the battery is at a lower state of charge is now enabled. First row seat heaters can now automatically regulate seat temperatures based on the cabin’s environment and control set temperature.
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Managing dashcam clips is also easier, as videos can now be deleted directly from the infotainment system. Themes for the infotainment system have been rolled out, too. For instance, Dark Mode is now available for Tesla displays. Dark Mode may be a simple update, but it could make vehicles safer, as a darker display reduced the chance of screen glare for the driver.
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Tesla is one of several automakers whose vehicles qualify for an awesome new first-time EV buyer incentive program in California.
The Golden State launched the MyFirstEV incentive program, which helps those buying an electric vehicle for the first time with a $3,500 incentive on new-inventory purchases of a Model 3 or Model Y.
First-time electric vehicle buyers in California can now get $3,500 off eligible Model 3 and Model Y new inventory vehicle purchases.
To be eligible, you must place your order on or after August 3, 2026 and take delivery while funds are still available. The incentive applies to… pic.twitter.com/yuXF00XA50
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) August 4, 2026
The incentive requires an order on or after August 3, and delivery must be taken while the program is still being funded. California has set aside $135.5 million to help strengthen its SEV market and support automotive innovation.
Incentives are offered at the point of sale, and used EVs are also available for a partial incentive of $1,750. Half of the $3,500 and $1,750 incentive amounts are covered by California, with the other half being covered by participating OEMs.
Additionally, rules apply for MSRP and how the vehicle will qualify for the incentive. Any vehicle from a non-California headquartered OEM must have an MSRP of $50,000 or less. Used vehicles must be priced at $25,000 or less and must be at least two model years older than the year of purchase.
The cars must also be purchased from manufacturers as certified pre-owned vehicles. Private dealerships are not eligible.
In total, California expects to incentivize over 73,000 ZEVs.
Participating Manufacturers
Fourteen total automakers are participating in California’s MyFirstEV program:
- Chevrolet – Launching August 2026
- Ford – Launching August 2026
- Honda – Launching September 2026
- Hyundai – Launching August 2026
- Kia – Launching August 2026
- Lexus – Launching September 2026
- Lucid – Launching August 2026
- Mitsubishi – Launching November 2026
- Nissan – Coming Soon
- Rivian – Coming Soon
- Subaru – Launching September 2026
- Tesla – Launching August 2026
- Toyota – Launching September 2026
- Volvo – Coming Soon
Elon Musk’s space exploration company, SpaceX (NASDAQ: SPCX), is set to report its earnings for the second quarter today in what will be its first-ever earnings call since going public in July.
SpaceX is trading down roughly 25 percent from its IPO. These early stock signals are usually a bit tumultuous, and considering this is the first company actively launching rockets that is available on the stock exchange, investors might have a tendency to be a bit skittish.
However, there are going to be some details that investors will hear for the first time today on the earnings call. Here’s what to look for:
Wall Street Expectations
Revenue is expected to fall somewhere around $6.8 billion, and will be heavily driven by Starlink, which is SpaceX’s widely popular satellite internet platform that has been adopted by numerous airlines, cruise ships, and other maritime operations. It is also available for consumers at home or in their cars.
Earnings Per Share (EPS) expectations fall at a net loss of $0.23 per share. Wall Street sees this as a total net loss of roughly $1.9 billion.
EBITDA is expected to come in between $2 billion and $2.1 billion.
What Investors Want to Know
Tesla uses the Say platform to help work with both retail and institutional investors to answer relevant and quality questions that address concerns or questions that they might have.
However, SpaceX is doing things differently, as the company launched its own Investor Relations website where these questions are being fielded. Just like the Tesla questions, they seem to be less focused on the operational tasks and overall progress of the company, and more novelty.
Here are the top five:
- Has the team thought about what possibilities there are with your mascot Asteroid? Whether it’s starting additional foundations for kids in its name, helping kids learn about space, etc. Kids are our future, and Asteroid would be a fun and easy way to help.
- Baby Asteroid is already making a difference through charity around the world. Could SpaceX take it even further with programs that inspire kids to explore space?
- SpaceX has some legendary vehicle names. Would you ever allow the public to name a Starship, even knowing there is a 99% chance it becomes Shipy McShipface?
- When can we expect to see more footage of the Human Landing System?
- Will Asteroid (your mascot) go to Mars?
SpaceX will report its earnings today, August 4, at 4:30 P.M. EDT.
Lemonade has expanded its innovative Autonomous Car insurance program to Tennessee, giving Tesla owners in the state a substantial discount on Full Self-Driving (FSD) miles. Announced on August 3, the product offers 50 percent off every mile driven with FSD activated, positioning the digital insurer as a leader in pricing insurance around autonomous technology.
The program, marketed as Lemonade Autonomous Car insurance, uses a direct connection via Tesla’s Fleet API (with customer permission) to automatically distinguish FSD-engaged miles from manual driving. Policyholders pay a low base rate when the vehicle is stationary and a few cents per mile when moving, with the 50 percent reduction applied specifically to FSD miles.
If you’re driving a Tesla in Tennessee, FSD miles now cost 50% less to insure with Lemonade. Autonomous Car is now live in TN.https://t.co/4CDTuhyORi pic.twitter.com/QZk4LBIs6f
— Lemonade (@Lemonade_Inc) August 3, 2026
Coverage includes standard protections such as liability, collision, comprehensive, roadside assistance, and Tesla-specific benefits like access to certified repair shops and emergency crash services. Eligible vehicles require Hardware 4, as well as recent firmware.
Lemonade first unveiled the product on January 21 of this year, describing it as a first-of-its-kind offering designed for self-driving cars, starting with Tesla FSD. It began rolling out in Arizona on January 26, followed by Oregon about a month later. Subsequent expansions brought it to Indiana in early June 2026 and Colorado later that month.
Tennessee marks the fifth state.
Tesla Full Self-Driving gets outrageous insurance offer with insanely cheap rates
The discount rests on Lemonade’s strong belief in the safety of Tesla’s FSD system. The company cites Tesla’s data showing that FSD-driven miles are twice as safe as those driven manually, or associated with roughly a 50 percent crash reduction.
Lemonade Co-founder and President Shai Wininger has emphasized this distinction: “Traditional insurers treat a Tesla like any other car, and AI like any other driver. But a car that sees 360 degrees, never gets drowsy, and reacts in milliseconds can’t be compared to a human.”
He added that “Teslas driven with FSD are involved in far fewer accidents” and committed that as FSD software improves and becomes safer, Lemonade’s prices will drop further.
Tesla Full Self-Driving gets an offer to be insured for ‘almost free’
This approach leverages Lemonade’s existing pay-per-mile technology and AI-driven risk models, which analyze nuanced vehicle data including software version and sensor performance. The company expects the model to reward higher FSD usage with greater savings while supporting mixed households that include both Tesla and non-Tesla vehicles under one policy. Bundling with home, renters, or pet insurance can yield additional discounts.
As autonomous driving technology advances, Lemonade’s state-by-state expansion of usage-based pricing that directly reflects real-world safety data represents a notable shift in how insurers evaluate risk.
Tesla owners in the five available states – Arizona, Oregon, Indiana, Colorado, and now Tennessee – can obtain quotes quickly through the Lemonade app or website, potentially lowering the overall cost of ownership for vehicles equipped with advanced driver-assistance systems. Further states are expected as regulatory approvals progress.
Tesla qualifies for awesome new first-time EV buyer incentive in California
SpaceX to report first-ever earnings today: here’s what to expect
